Norm welcomes back good friend and expert on the persecuted church, Terry Madison. In the country of Myanmar (Burma), Christian citizens are treated with contempt, harassment and even violence by their government. It is a truly closed and oppressive nation. Does that mean the Church is on the decline there? Hardly. But their lives truly are 'hard.' What can we do? Well, Compassion Radio is already doing it! You'll heard 'what' and 'how' today and tomorrow.

Rex Rogers has his hands full. As President of SAT-7 USA, he coordinates the fundraising activities for the largest Christian television network focused on the Muslim world. But money's not the biggest challenge. You'll find out what is as he joins Norm for this up-to-date report.

The more things change, the more they stay the same... there's a pessimistic statement for you! If you read any number of commentaries on Africa you'd get that impression. When it comes to helping the economic, social and spiritual progress on this great continent, the subtext is 'don't bother - you're just wasting your time.'

We don't buy into that. And neither does Norm's guest today, Michael Cassidy.

Some of the richest and most influential men in the history of the world live in the elite enclaves and rarefied air of enormous skyscrapers located in the Gulf of Arabia. Does that mean they are beyond the reach of God? Hardly. Norm's guest today, Paul Howard has a story to tell about one such 'rich man.'

Where is the world's most dangerous place to be a Christian? Well, there are a number of factors to consider, but in terms of sheer physical violence, the current 'number 1' is undoubtedly Nigeria. Our guest today knows the score and gives us the inside story. Norm introduces us to 'Emmanuel' as he reports from a missions conference in Canada.

Camille Melki had a thriving ministry in an active, engaged and involved church here in the States. His work in worship arts and missions kept him plenty busy. It wasn't enough. In response to the Israel Lebanon War, God led him back to his home country and smack into the middle of the biggest opportunity to reach Muslims for Christ in hundreds of years.

It's a paradox. God willingly sacrifices Himself for the humanity that boastfully, gleefully kills Him. It makes no sense. There was absolutely no beauty in the torture, the pain, the blood, the death. Everything we hope for in a Savior is savagely obliterated in the violent scene played out in Jerusalem.

And yet...

We can't not look at the Cross. At the broken and battered offering. What is really going on at Calvary? Norm takes a hard and lingering look at what Christ did and continues to do.

Was it a legal hatchet-job? A tragedy of cosmic proportions? Or something else, altogether? The trial of Jesus for sedition stands out in history as a seemingly unexplainable injustice. But that's really not the message God intended. What He did intend, and accomplished, goes far beyond our wildest expectations. Today Norm takes a very different look at the story.

My how things change... The end of the 1980s brought a sea change in politics and human rights to the European nations of the former Soviet Bloc. And we were there to see it happen in real time. More than two decades later, what is the spiritual fruit of those momentous events?

Well, for a new generation a fresh wind of the Spirit is blowing through these former socialist countries. In an age of social media the evidence is as close as our computer screens. Our producer, Bram Floria, joins Norm in studio to share some personal storie

Hagar is an international Christian organization dedicated to the protection, recovery and community integration of survivors of human rights abuse; particularly human trafficking, gender-based violence and sexual exploitation.

Today we talk to Bronwyn Graham from Hagar in Afghanistan where freedom of religion does not exist and the rights of women and minorities are often compromised. Afghanistan desperately needs the love and peace of God. Hagar serves individual women and children, doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes to restore life in all its fullness.

The news reports are vague and incomplete from the frontlines in Syria. We're hearing even less from the refugee camps that litter the borders with Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. But Compassion Radio has a long history reaching out to the Church in Syria and we do know enough to help. Right now at least 850 Christian Syrian families are huddled in the mountains of Lebanon waiting out the conflict. The situation is dire. Norm's guest today, Dr. Martin Accad, will help fill in the details so we can pray and act more effectively.

Youth and Moxie - it's all you need to get ahead in life, right? Well, we all grow up eventually and discover that we can't control everything. Lindsay Vessey's a special breed. She's applied herself with youth, energy and wisdom in the pursuit of God's priorities. She's right in the middle of the ultimately important work of rescuing, sustaining and encouraging those persecuted for Christ around the world.

When you think the Muslim world, what comes to mind? The Middle East? Central Asia? What about Africa? Algeria is at the heart of African Islam. It's also the heart of a growing Christian community. With the world rapidly entering a new era of opportunity and peril, it's important for us to know where the news frontlines are.

Of the interesting, intrepid people we interview on Compassion Radio, Carl Medearis ranks at the top. He keeps pace with some of the most adventurous people we know. His newest book "Tea with Hezbollah" is a good indicator. It's not just a gripping real-life account of his journey through the contested territories of the Middle East, it's a modern guidebook to living the story of the Good Samaritan.

Norm's guest today, Darrell McCarthy, is the kind of person you always wanted as a teacher - knowledgeable, compassionate, involved and inspirational. He's also the kind of person that just might change the whole world for the better.

Nurses do an immense amount of good every single day. So, how does someone who serves as a nurse do even more exceptional things? By stepping out in faith.

Victoria Base Smith is certainly extraordinary. As a nurse, professor, missionary and adventurer, she's been just the kind of person that inspires Compassion Radio and thousands of listeners. Today you'll hear more of her partnership with us and how it's opened up some amazing opportunities.